March marks the annual Nutrition Month where we learn how to make better food choices and develop healthy eating habits. One interesting article by CBC explored the harmful impacts of dieting and how we can challenge diet culture.
Focusing on three different perspectives from three different women, the article took a stab at understanding how diet culture has had an impact on people and how it is shaped by personal experiences.
Amirah Oyesegun stated that diet culture is often more about looks than nutrition and overall well-being.
I can see the truth in this reflected in the focus of most diets - targeting specific areas of the body to fit the societal beauty standard. Oyesegun goes on to mention that the biggest issue with diet culture is how it is often presented as health, convincing people that weight loss is the overarching solution to their health problems, even when that isn’t necessarily the case.
So how can we challenge this?
The article mentions six ways to challenge diet culture. A few of them include:
1. Seeing diet culture for what it really is
2. Considering whether or not weight loss should be the primary goal of adopting healthier habits
3. Changing up your social media feed to better reflect the diversity of bodies out there
To read more, check out 6 ways to recognize and challenge diet culture this year!
This March, let’s take the time this nutrition month to reflect on how diet culture affects us and how we can challenge this to improve not just our physical health, but our overall wellness including our mental and emotional health.
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